1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in which the slice of an object to be examined is scanned with an ultrasonic beam through an ultrasonic probe to form the image of tomographic information in the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
When an ultrasonic probe is used for a long time, the sensitivity of the ultrasonic probe is gradually degraded. This degradation of sensitivity occurs when a piezoelectric material or an electrode material changes with time due to repetitive energizing operations. The quality of a tomographic image is degraded with degradation of the sensitivity of the ultrasonic probe, troubles occur in diagnoses in the future, and an erroneous diagnosis may be caused.
The quality assurance of ultrasonic probes is generally performed only when products are shipped. Since a degree of degradation of an ultrasonic probe considerably depends on frequencies at which a servicemen uses the ultrasonic probe, the degree of degradation cannot be recognized by only the number of days from the delivery of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Therefore, in a medical site, even when the quality of an ultrasonic probe is degraded, a servicemen may have used the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus without knowing the degradation of the ultrasonic probe until image quality is considerably degraded or the operation time of the ultrasonic probe becomes equal to a durable time thereof not to obtain a normal image.
As described above, since a method of easily recognizing a degree of degradation of an ultrasonic probe has not been established, there is an inconvenience that a servicemen continuously uses an ultrasonic probe without knowing the degradation of the ultrasonic probe.